Object Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Handheld Boxcar Mover, c. 1920s |
Object Name |
Mover, Rail Car |
Description |
Handheld Boxcar Mover, c. 1920s. The Thurman Smith Boxcar Mover was used to hand move boxcars on railway lines. It consists of a long wooden pole which tapers at either end. One tapered end is fed into a metal fitting which has oval shaped holes on its sides. Attached to the metal fitting by a nut and bolt is an angled metal pivot. Used by all four companies that occupied the same site in San Carlos: Kelly-Pickering Chemical Factory, Spencer-Kellogg, National Lead Company and Reichold Chemical, Inc. Donor worked for all four companies and used this mover during his tenure at Reichold Chemical. |
Date |
c. 1920s |
Creator |
Advance Car Mover Co Inc. Appleton, Wis |
Role |
Manufacturer |
Medium |
Metal/Wood |
Catalog Number |
2019.094.002 |
Dimensions |
H-69 W-6 inches |
Collection |
3D - Rail Transportation Equipment |
Inscription Text |
"ADVANCE../..CAR MOVER../..CO INC../..APPLETON../..WIS" |
Provenance |
Thurman Smith used this boxcar mover. It was used by all four companies that occupied the same site in San Carlos: Kelly-Pickering Chemical Factory, Spencer-Kellogg, National Lead Company and Reichold Chemical, Inc. Donor worked for all four companies and used this mover during his tenure at Reichold Chemical. |
Notes |
"A railcar mover is a road–rail vehicle (capable of travelling on both roads and rail tracks) fitted with couplers for moving small numbers of railroad cars around in a rail siding or small yard. They are extensively used by railroad customers because they are cheaper than owning a switcher locomotive, more convenient and cheaper than paying the railroad operator to do the switching, easier and more productive than manual moving of cars, and in addition they are more versatile since they can travel on road wheels to the cars they need to move, instead of needing clear track." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Railcar_mover |
Search Terms |
Railroad Railroad Cars Railroad Equipment Railroad Locomotives Railroads Railways Smith, Thurman Train Trains Transportation Transportation Technology |
Subjects |
Railroad car industry Railroad construction & maintenance Railroad handcars Railroad locomotive industry Railroad travel Railroads |
People |
Smith, Thurman |
Credit line |
Courtesy of Thurman Smith |